1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a baseball or softball practice system and, more particularly, to a portable system for receiving a thrown ball and safely returning it to a user.
2. Background Art
Over the years, a wide variety of ball receipt and return machines have been developed for enhancing the defensive skills of baseball or softball players. A representative sample of such machines are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,272, 5,133,548, and 5,573,239. These devices typically have a rectangular frame for supporting a backstop, which provides a general throwing target. The backstop is frequently a net or tarp the sustaining the impact of thrown ball and allowing it to drop directly into a pan positioned below the target backstop. Often, machines of this variety are affixed with a feeding apparatus that delivers the ball to a return mechanism, which expels the ball into the general direction of the user. However, these machines furnish a dangerous practice environment, particularly to unsupervised children, whom are playing in the general vicinity of the machine or are actively using the device. Moreover, machines of this design lack certain features that provide a more versatile and comprehensive training system.